night woods

sitting in 
outdoor dark
unfamiliar to 
creatures of 
indoor bright
i see the
world of the blind
a void
i hear 
tree frogs 
and cicadas
cast their songs 
into sable silence
pleading for love
i smell the
musty scat of
decomposition 
on the
forest floor
i taste it
through my nostrils 
i feel the 
cloak of
nocturnal humidity 
envelop me in
sweaty embrace
the breeze
a mistress
or murderer
stealing up
behind me
tousling the hair
around my collar
raising the hackles
on the back of
my neck
nature nudging me
asking 
do you like 
it’s what
i offer